Grand Casino Arena Game Day Guide
Minnesota Wild · Saint Paul, MN
Know Before You Go
Essential details checked against official venue information.
- Bag policy
Purses up to 12 x 12 x 6 inches are permitted at designated X-ray entrances; wristlets, clutches, and wallets up to 4 x 6 x 1.5 inches are permitted at every entrance after inspection.
Applies to: Minnesota Wild games
- The purse rule includes clear bags; backpacks, coolers, and large totes are prohibited, while medical and parenting bags are permitted after X-ray screening.
- Gate opening
General doors open 75 minutes before Minnesota Wild games.
Applies to: Minnesota Wild games
- Gate 5 opens 90 minutes early for listed premium areas, and Gate 4 opens 90 minutes early for Fan Zone access only.
- Mobile tickets
Minnesota Wild home games use mobile-only entry through the Minnesota Wild App and its SeatGeek integration.
Applies to: Minnesota Wild games
- Display each ticket's QR code at the entrance; screenshots are not accepted.
- Re-entry
Grand Casino Arena does not permit guests to exit during an event and then re-enter.
Applies to: Minnesota Wild games
- Prohibited items
Prohibited items include weapons and defensive sprays, detachable-lens cameras, outside food and beverages, cans and glass bottles, coolers, noisemakers and inflatables, selfie sticks, lasers, pets other than service animals, hockey sticks and poles, recording devices, disguise masks, large or sharp umbrellas, wrapped gifts, and knitting or crochet equipment.
Applies to: Minnesota Wild games
- Tablets are an exception for Minnesota Wild games even though they are prohibited at other arena events.
- First aid
The Regions Hospital First Aid Station is on the 100 Level at Sections 104 and 105, next to Guest Services.
Applies to: Minnesota Wild games
- Contact any arena staff member for assistance.
- Nursing and lactation
Mother's Rooms are inside the women's restroom near Section C28 on the Club Level and near Suite 54 on the Suite Level.
Applies to: Minnesota Wild games
- Both have rocking chairs and power outlets, are available to guests from every level, and can be accessed with help from Guest Services.
- Family restrooms
Family restrooms are near Sections 106 and 107 and Sections 122 and 123 on the 100 Level, Suite 58, Sections C35 and C36 on the Club Level, and Section 225 on the 200 Level.
Applies to: Minnesota Wild games
- Every public restroom has a baby-changing station.
- Tickets for children
For most events, children younger than 2 may enter without a ticket when held on an accompanying adult's lap.
Applies to: Minnesota Wild games
- Guest services
Guest Services desks are at Sections 104 and 105 on the 100 Level, Section C9 on the Club Level, and Section 206 on the 200 Level.
Applies to: Minnesota Wild games
- During an event, text 651-800-9453 for wayfinding, fan-conduct, or other immediate assistance.
- Service animals
Trained service animals are permitted and must remain leashed or harnessed in the handler's seating area.
Applies to: Minnesota Wild games
- A service animal may not use another seat unless a ticket was purchased for that adjacent seat.
- Smoking and vaping
Smoking, tobacco, electronic cigarettes, vaporizers, and similar products are prohibited inside Grand Casino Arena.
Applies to: Minnesota Wild games
- The arena's no-reentry policy means guests cannot leave to smoke and return.
Game Day Timeline
What the day looks like at Grand Casino Arena, hour by hour.
Lowertown pregame
Head to Lowertown for craft beer at one of St. Paul's excellent breweries. The neighborhood is a short walk from the arena.
Rice Park area
The restaurants around Rice Park and along 7th Street offer good pregame dining within skyway distance of the Xcel.
Doors open
Enter the Xcel and watch warm-ups. The building has one of the best atmospheres in the NHL, Minnesota fans are hockey literate.
Find your seat
Settle in. The crowd buzzes with anticipation, Wild games are an event in the State of Hockey.
Game time
Three 20-minute periods. Wild fans are loud, knowledgeable, and react to offsides and icing calls. This is a hockey crowd.
Hit the concourse
Grab a Juicy Lucy or walleye fingers with a Surly Furious IPA. Minnesota food and beer at their best.
Lowertown nightlife
Walk to Lowertown for post-game pints at one of St. Paul's craft breweries. Or take the skyway back to your car and hit the road.
Tips & Fan Reports
Metro Green Line connects to Minneapolis (Target Center / Target Field area) if you're staying across the river.
Minnesota is the State of Hockey. These fans grew up playing. They know the game better than almost any fan base in the NHL.
The Grand Casino Arena is widely considered one of the best atmospheres in the NHL. The State of Hockey is real.
The Grand Casino Arena is consistently ranked as one of the best arenas in the NHL for atmosphere. It lives up to the hype.
St. Paul's downtown is compact and walkable. Many restaurants and bars are within 5 minutes of the arena.
St. Paul's skyway system connects the parking ramps to the arena. You can walk from your car to your seat without stepping outside in January.
Weather
Grand Casino Arena is indoor, so these are the conditions for the parking lot and the walk in, not the seats.
Across the NHL season the warmest month is October, with an average high of 58°F, and the coldest is January, when the average low is 9°F. April is the wettest month at 2.6 inches and January the driest at 0.5 inches.
That January low ranks 4th coldest of the 32 NHL venues, and April here ranks 25th wettest.
October
2.5 inchesNovember
1.3 inchesJanuary
0.5 inchesMarch
1.4 inchesApril
2.6 inchesMinnesota Wild Clear Bag Policy
Most venues require a clear bag. Get an approved one before you travel.
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How We Checked This Page
Every section below names the source it was read from and the day it was read. Where we could not reach a published figure, the page says so rather than presenting an estimate as a checked fact.
- Game day timeline
Gate opening time checked against the venue's own gate-opening policy: General doors open 75 minutes before Minnesota Wild games.
- Weather
NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals
- Venue policies
Current Grand Casino Arena visitor and accessibility guides plus Minnesota Wild game-day and mobile-ticketing pages reviewed for Wild policies.